The Loyalty Test
by SpartanOwl
Summary: Auden is a girl that ran away from home at a young age. She has been living on the streets since until she gets caught and is turned over to the police. She is then transferred to a school for troubled kids. Shortly after she learns that she is a demigod and runs away, practically helpless until she runs into a girl who may or may not be in her situation. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1: Auden

**Disclaimer: I do not own the PJO/HoO characters series, only the plot.**

It was beginning to get dark, and our little corner of the Hermann Park was starting to wake up. I was half asleep and still in daze after a good night's sleep. Monique, who's like my second mom (I never really knew my first) was grinning so wide, her buck teeth were showing. Her curly black hair bounced up and down. **(A/N: Monique has a southern accent just so you know)**

She was visibly something green right in my face. I wiped my eyes and tried to focus on the object, and my eyes widened, trying to not scream, shout, or yell. "You got cash?"

Monique nodded, her brown eyes shining. She was waaay too excited to speak, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. "How 'bout I treat you to some McDonalds', doll baby?"

I frowned. "Treat me out? Don't you remember? Just get a take out for me please."

"Right, sorry. I'll come back as soon as I can, ok? Take care of yourself." She ran off into the darkness. I'm Auden Winters. I ran away when I was really little. I don't want to ever return home again, so I hide from the police. It's always been me and Monique on the run. That's just the reality of being a runaway kid. It isn't cruel or harsh, it's just life.

It's been a while, and Monique still hasn't come back. I sense that something is terribly wrong, so I risk it and venture out in the street. I can see my little corner of the park getting smaller and smaller until it disappeared altogether. The streets of Museum District were quiet. Not many people were out right now. Shops were closed, and I could hear loud music in the distance. Otherwise, it was very quiet. Houston was not exactly known for being very safe ( from crimes/ violence). I ran across the street, seeing a two golden arches in the distance.

I ran into a guy probably a bit older than me when I was getting closer to my destination. He was fairly pale and had dark hair. It was hard to see his actual face, even with the occasional bright headlights of cars.

"And why might a young girl be on the Houston streets after dark?" He asks, looking amused.

My response was quick. "And why might you need to know?"

He laughed. "Who asked the question first?" Raising his eyebrows. "You're feisty. The name's Chad."

"Aubrey," I replied, careful to not give him my real name. I hoped my hand-me-down clothes didn't give my identity away.

Chad frowned and tilted his head. "Aubrey," He muttered. "Sounds very familiar."

"Sure it does."

"Are you going there?" He asked, pointing to McDonalds'.

I nodded. We walked together and went in. I saw Monique and walked towards her.

"What took you so long?"

"Sorry, the air conditioning makes it so much more cool in here," she started looking ashamed, "But I can see you found company.

I immediately felt my face heating up. "Monique!"

"Sorry. Here, I got you a big mac. Sidown."

I was almost too excited to eat, but I was pretty hungry. Obviously, I don't want to describe how I ate, so I'll leave that part out.

I finished my food. I haven't felt this full in a very long time. I thought to myself about how things kept getting better and better. I had a full meal, I was in a public place, and I haven't been caught by the cops. Perfect right? Well, my friends, this is when my life started going downhill. Very downhill. And before you read the rest of my story, I'm telling you, be prepared. Brace yourself. I swear I'm not at all lying about my life. Just believe me.


	2. Chapter 2: Auden

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the PJO/HoO series.**

 _Chapter 2 : Auden_

Let's start where we left off, skipping the boring parts. Chad turned me in. Seriously! He was a cop's kid. How could I not see that one coming? The cop gave me two choices. One: to go back home to my dad. Two: to go a school for troubled kids. Obviously, I chose the second option. So here I am, at some stupid place called The Kruger School for the Troubled, or KST for short. Maybe this place won't be too bad. Maybe it will. I won't be staying here for long though, so I should not worry.

It's been three months and I've learned one thing. This place is horrible. Just horrible. This place is like a prison, not a school. My roommate is bratty, and the food is just- no words (in a bad way). But through all of this, I have been devising a plan to run away again, and I have found a friend/ military strategist to help me. I felt like I wanted to run away as soon as I could, but it kinda sucks that this place is a "top notch troubled kids school" and the security was "top of the line".

It was breakfast, and I was sitting at the table with Beck, one of my closest friends here at KST. Beck was kinda crippled and his hair was very curly and tall. Beck's parents were homeless so they sent him here, thinking that this prison would be the closest thing he could have to school. He's been here longer than everybody (10 years!). I kinda get why his parents would do that. If my dad had hated me less, he probably would have sent me here.

Anyways, we were discussing our field trip to Austin. Austin is the perfect place to run away because it is 3 hours away from Houston, and I could get out of Texas in less time. I have been planning this moment for a long time. I will be bringing a few supplies that would be useful to be on the run. We would be splitting up and touring Austin. , the headmistress, was announcing our groups. Her fiery red hair was pulled back real tight and her gold hawk-like eyes scanned the room.

I got paired up with Claudia (the bratty roommate I mentioned earlier), and this girl named Ethanah. I sat next to Beck on the bus because he was paired with another group.

"You're lucky you're paired with your roommates. I barely know my partners."

"I only know Claudia, and she's a jerk. I don't even know who Ethanah is."

Beck's eyes widened, and then he looked confused. "Ethanah is your roommate and best friend. How could you not know her?"

"Wait, isn't it two per dorm?"

"No, it's three."

"That's weird, I don't even remember her."

"Interesting."

We sat there in awkward silence until we reached Austin. I felt kinda sad because it was the last time I would ever see Beck.

"Well, it was nice knowing you," I said.

He tilted his head. "Today?"

"Yup."

"It was nice knowing you too."

We shook hands and exited the bus. I found Claudia easily. Her black/purple hair was in a high ponytail, and she was wearing very high heels. She was wearing a bright pink T-Shirt and very skinny jeans. She was standing with a dark haired girl with gray eyes. I figured she would be Ethanah. As we walked together, Ethanah whispered in my ear, "Ready for D-Day?"

"D-Day? How do you know?"

Ethanah laughed. "No need to pretend, Claudia knows you silly. Don't you remember? I was the first person you told your plans to."

I gave her a weak smile. "Yeah sure."

I was absolutely positive I didn't know this girl, but at the same time, I felt like I've known her for years. Ethanah, Claudia, and I went to a park and sat down. Making sure no one was watching us and getting suspicious, Claudia leaned in and said, "Ok, when the field trip is almost over and we need to report back to the parking lot, we leave you behind in Downtown, because no one would look there."

"And why is that?" I interrupted.

Ethanah replied,"Downtown's too big and too crowded. Plus, doesn't even bother to take role call, so you're fine."

"But is so strict and um, scary."

Claudia and Ethanah rolled their eyes. Claudia looked like she holding back a smile. "Sure. She has bright blue hair and wears One Direction T-Shirts to work. Then she sleeps on the job."

I sighed. "Fine. But if I get in trouble, this is all y'alls fault."

Claudia and Ethanah looked at each other and said in unison, "Then it's settled."

 **A/N: This is my first fanfic, so please review and give me feedback on my work.**

 **PS/Possible spoiler if you know the answer: Ethanah. Think about the name. :)**


	3. Chapter 3: Auden

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the PJO/HoO series (although none of the characters have made an appearance yet, I'm doing this just to stay safe)**

 _Chapter 3: Auden_

I'm utterly confused. Since when was Claudia nice, crazy, and Ethanah my best friend? I don't remember any of that happening. Maybe this is just a dream. Maybe I'm hallucinating. Nevermind that. I just pinched myself and it hurt a lot. Now Ethanah and Claudia are looking at me weirdly. I smiled nervously.

"I'm alright."

They both exhaled. "Ok, good."

Ethanah looked at me right in the eye. " Do you have the supplies? It's almost time."

I took a deep breath and nodded. I tightened my ponytail and braced myself.

Ok, so here's the short version of the plan. Step number one: Ethanah and I bike-jack a random person while Claudia "buys" me new clothes. Number two: we ride downtown and find a private place for me to change in/clean myself up. Number three: we give the stolen bike to a random person for 20 bucks. Number Four: We say our goodbyes. Claudia and Ethanah head back to the bus. So far, we have completed step one, two, and three. The outfit Claudia picked out was actually not bad. I was wearing pale denim shorts with a red and white plaid flannel shirt. Claudia went even further and got me sunglasses and a pair of black converse (with socks, of course). I needed to disguise myself so I don't get caught again.

We were about to say our goodbyes when we heard screaming from a distance and a loud roar. A giant bull thing came our way. He looked at me like he wanted to kill me, but he saw Ethanah and his eyes widened. Ethanah cursed in another language that I somehow understood perfectly. She muttered under her breath and the monster vaporized into yellow dust. Ethanah turned to me and gave me a weak smile. She was pale and looked like she was going to pass out any second. I had a strong feeling that Ethanah had something to do with the vaporizing of the bull monster thing. I was curious.

"Um, did y'all guys see a bull thing too?"

"You mean the Mino-" Ethanah immediately covered her mouth. I raised an eyebrow. Something is up with that girl.

Claudia looked confused. "What bull Mino thing? I saw a cow car."

I was even more confused than I already was. "But…. But I swear I saw some type of monster down that street. You believe me right Ethanah?"

Ethanah chuckled nervously. " Auden, I think you're hallucinating. The bull thing was not there at all, it was only a cow cart. Maybe you've been up too late. Or… or maybe you didn't get enough nutrients today.. Or sleep. Did you know that you need to get 8-10 hours of sleep every day? And you need a certain amount of nutrients per day, and you know the food here is disgusting and unhealthy. Maybe you're just malnourished. And you don't have enough sleep. Or maybe, um-"

Ethanah's watch beeped. "Oh look, it's time for us to go! Claudia, I need to talk to Auden for a sec, I'll meet you at the bus."

I gave Claudia a quick hug as Ethanah grabbed my arm and pulled me into a small coffee shop. She handed me a denim backpack. "The food and drinks in there, only eat it when you're hurt. If you consume too much, you'll combust. _Do not_ give anyone the food, ok? And one more thing- use the tools I provided wisely. Be careful out there Auden. Good Luck."

I was a still very confused and suspicious, but I hugged her anyways. "Bye."

I watched her silhouette get smaller and smaller until it was completely gone as she walked away. I found a corner booth to sit in and opened up the backpack. There were these small squares of what looked like very blonde brownies and a yellow bottled drink. There was also a glowing dagger. The blade looked like it was gold and bronze in a marbled effect. It had a leather sheath. The handle had the word "anemostróvilos" on it. My brain immediately translated it to Twister. There was also a black and white polka-dotted umbrella, a bag of cash, an extra outfit (with shoes), Medea's SPF 5000 sunscreen, a light blue sleeping bag and a fairly large can of spider repellent. I wonder how Ethanah knew about my spider phobia. I put the contents of the small bag I originally packed into this new backpack: five water bottles, ritz crackers, and a charm bracelet my dad gave me before I ran away.

I was quite glad to be off on my own again. No prison school, no weird hallucinations. But this is _really_ when my troubles started.


	4. Chapter 4: Isolde

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the PJO/HoO series. All rights go to Rick Riordan**

 _Chapter 5: Isolde_

At this point, I regret running away. There are no maids, AC, internet connection, butlers, and worst of all- Wi-Fi. I brought the largest bag I could bring, and still, I have nothing I need. Nothing. I've gotten used to life with my father, a millionaire businessman, but I hate him. That's why I ran away. Plus the fact that I'm a demigod. Monsters attacked our house, and my dad was fed up with repairing the damage. I was done. Back to reality, the Texas heat was killing me. We were at the point in summer where 97 degrees _low_ was normal, and "feels like" 99 degrees was a good day. It's the peak of the heat. That's right- 1:00 PM, August. The dreaded August. **(A/N: Trust me on the weather. I may be exaggerating, but I live in Texas and I know what the weather's like)** I was just about to rush into a nearby coffee shop to fix my hair when I ran into someone exiting the shop.

The girl frowned. "Hey, watch where you're going!"

The girl was very pretty. She was almost the opposite of me. (Not that I wasn't pretty, of course) Her slightly curly mousy brown hair was put into a high ponytail. She had a deep tan, perfect skin and blue eyes that looked almost black. I think she was about 15 or 16, but I'm horrid at guessing ages. She looked like she had makeup on, but I could tell that she didn't. In short, she looked like a teenaged off-duty model.

But I, Isolde Marie Ortega, was not going to judge a girl by her looks. I decided immediately that I didn't like this girl. She was probably some snobby stuck up kid that came from a very rich family. "And, who do you think you are talking to, prissy?"

"I don't know. Hm…," The girl pretended to think, which was very annoying. "A random stranger I don't know on the street? Wait, more like Reginald Ortega's missing daughter."

My eyes widened. "H-how did you know?"

The girl rolled her eyes and told me to follow her. The lead me into an alley with some homeless people in it. The people look at us funny. I was ready to beat them to pulp, but the girl held her back and shot the strangers a look. They nodded as if they understood the girl's message perfectly. "Your picture was on the news. And newspapers. The poster near the coffee shop, everywhere."

"Really? Do you have news about my dad? You're not going to turn me in, right?"

The girl laughed. "No, I won't you in because even though I hate you, I got turned in once and I really wouldn't want to have you go through what I went through. Secondly, your dad doesn't really care if you're found or not."

I was kinda surprised when the girl said that she got turned in once. Her clothes looked fairly new, and she didn't look like a runaway.

"I don't look like a runaway, right?" the girl asked. It was like she had read my mind. I nodded. "I'm Auden Winters."

She stuck her hand out, and we shook. "Isolde Ortega."

Auden set her backpack down and sat. I did the same. "Ok, you ready to hear my story?"

I nodded. She took a deep breath and told me everything from the beginning.

When Auden finished her story, I was quite surprised because I could relate to a lot of things she'd been through. Her dad is a top notch lawyer. Her mom was never really around when she was little. She is from Houston. She ran away from home when she was nine and got caught when she was fourteen, just about three months ago. She was sent to a school for troubled kids, and she escaped just today.

"Ok, let's do three questions because I'm kinda confused," I told her.

"Sure."

"How did you end up in Austin if you from Houston?"

"My school took a field trip here."

"Why do you clothes look so new?"

Auden blushed. "My friend Claudia stole it from a shop around here."

"Sweet. Ok, last question. What's in your backpack?"

Auden looked pretty reluctant to show me, but I was very curious. "If you show me yours, I'll show you mine."

"Ok, fine."

I open up Auden's bag to find a very pretty looking dagger, nectar, and ambrosia. My eyes widen. "Um, Auden, are you a demigod as well?"

Auden looked very confused. "Demigod?"

I had no idea why she was hiding her demigod status from me. "Ok then, what is," I paused to be dramatic, "this!" I Revealed the dagger, nectar, and ambrosia.

She shrugged in desperation. "I don't know! A friend gave me some supplies earlier when I was running away. I have no idea why I need them."

I sensed that she was telling the truth, which meant that she was a half-blood, and she didn't know it yet. That's why I couldn't tell she that was a half-blood. That's why monsters didn't really attack her. She still didn't know. "Auden, I've got news for you."

"What?" She asked, clearly annoyed. This one's moody.

I took a deep breath, not sure how she would take it. "Sweetie, ever heard of the Greek Gods?"

 **PS: Has anyone figured out the little riddle from Chapter 2? I think it's quite easy because I already gave hints throughout the chapters 3 and 4. Please PM me if you found the answer!**


	5. Chapter 5: Auden

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the PJO/HoO series**

 **A/N: I'm sorry I haven't updated regularly like usual. I know this chapter is short, but I promise the next chapter will be longer.**

 _Chapter 6: Auden_

Ok, I've got to admit, I'm quite thankful for company. Isolde's cool. She looked kinda scary when I first met her, with her black hair and pale skin, but she pretty chill. At least up until now. Before I met her, I honestly had nowhere I was headed to in particular. Now we're trying to get to New York. Isolde mentioned that her dad threatened to bring her there when she was younger. Currently, she's trying to lecture me about Mythology. Now who's the smart one here?

Isolde was waving her hand in front of my face, showing off her blood red mani. "Earth to Auden?"

My mind focused. "Sorry."

"As I was saying, you're a half-blood. You know, half god, half human."

I laughed. Judging from the extremely serious expression Isolde had on, either she was telling the truth, or she needed a therapist. "Sure."

Isolde spent the next five minutes telling me why she was right, and why I was wrong. I spent that time laughing and questioning her. Then she had enough. She grabbed my bag and pulled out my dagger, looking around to make sure no one was watching.

"What do you see?"

"A dagger"

"What do they see?"

"A dagger."

"No, they do not." She sighed. "I'm gonna have to show you the hard way. Hold out your hand. "

I obliged. Isolde held my hand as she pricked my finger with the dagger. Her touch was as cold as ice. My finger started to bleed. Isolde handed me a tiny bit of the blonde brownie thing. "Eat this."

The brownie practically melted in my mouth. It tasted like the smores my dad would make on camping trips when I was very little. A bit burnt, but just the taste of the smores made me regret running away. I haven't talked to him since I was seven. Maybe I should have given him a chance. Thinking about him made me feel sad. The cut on my finger disappeared as if nothing had ever happened. I felt as if I could do anything. "More please," I begged.

Isolde shook her head. Her cold ice blue eyes pierced through me, daring me to argue. "If you have any more you'll combust. That was ambrosia. The food of the gods. If normal mortals eat it they'll combust right away. Do you believe me now?"

I thought about it. Isolde was older, and she was probably right, but I didn't want to give in too quickly. At the same time, she didn't seem like the type of person you'd want as an enemy. I reluctantly agreed. "Fine. You're right."

She gave me a tight-lipped smile. There was an awkward silence between us. I've only met her today, but I felt as if she had changed me completely. I suddenly understood everything. Why mum had never been around, why the Minotaur attacked, why it disappeared. I knew there was so much more ahead, and that my life would only go downhill now, but I felt as if I knew more. I liked that. I thought about New York. It seemed so far away from Texas, but I knew we had to get there sooner or later. The moon was high up in the sky, and it was nighttime. I began to drift off into a deep sleep.


	6. Chapter 6: Isolde

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the PJO/ HoO series**

 **A/N: So here is the longer chapter like I promised. I hope you guys like it! I've been getting requests for more Isolde POVs so here it is. Enjoy!**

 _Isolde_

It's been two and a half months, and we are in Easton, Pennsylvania. I know, I know. According to Google Maps, the trip to Easton should have taken about 241 hours, and 256 hours to New York, but that was if we walked non-stop. Auden and I had to sleep, eat , and take detours to escape mortal police. Plus, we're demigods. Come on. Right now, it's like maybe 10 or so at night. Auden is praying to Athena because she thinks that Athena is her mom. She couldn't be more correct. Lucky her. I still have no idea who my mom is. At first, I thought she would be Aphrodite, but she seems to girly, so I am completely out of luck. Auden tells me that my mom might be a minor goddess like Iris or Hecate, but I don't do rainbows or magic. So I am stuck, with no one to pray to, and absolutely no clue of my parentage (besides dad). Lucky me.

I thought of myself three months ago, when I first ran away. I was stupid, thinking that I needed three different curling irons and a whole case of makeup. Basically, this was what my "running away bag" was three months ago: phone, phone charger, curling irons, makeup, sleeping bag, spare outfits, nectar/ambrosia, icebreaker (my sword), sunglasses from Prada, a nail file and nail polish from Dior. I mean, Auden and I use the nail polish and makeup to make us look somewhat normal, but I still feel like things have changed a lot. Three months ago I would have never thought about leaving the house (wait, mansion) without a full face of makeup. Now, I wore much less makeup and didn't really curl my hair. Thinking about this made me feel sad. My old self was so different from who I am right now.

"WAKE UP!" Auden' semi-shouted as she shook me awake. She has this thing where she would tell people things, and people obey her without question. So basically, I had no choice. I groaned and sat up. Auden looked like she had been awake for a long time. Her hair was neatly braided and pulled up in a somewhat high ponytail, and she changed to a spare outfit she'd brought along. It was a trench coat with black leggings and her usual converse. She had laid out some Ritz crackers and a small Dixie cup filled with water. My spare outfit was folded and put next to me. It was around 7 or 8 AM. Yep, Auden was _that_ much of a morning person. Auden smiled. "Morning!"

I frowned and said, "I'm going back to sleep."

"No no no no no, missy." Auden rolled her eyes. "Today is the day."

A realization spread within me. "Right. Sorry, I forgot." Today was the day we would hopefully, make it New York. We Ran into someone on the way, and he told us what to look for.

"Look for Delphi Strawberry Service when you get to New York. Try to take a cab and hand the card to the driver. Tell him to stop about five minutes before you arrive. Enter, but be careful. There may or may not be a monster trying to take you down," he had said. He handed me a card that had the address on it. The guy seemed awfully familiar, but at the time, we could not stop and chat. We were kinda sorta on a run. What did Auden call him... Beck? Weird.

I ate my "breakfast" and went to the nearby restroom to change while Auden cleaned up the alley we stayed in last night. I changed into white T-Shirt, a jacket, skinny jeans, and a pair of lace-up boots.I put on some makeup and quickly braided my hair into dutch pigtails.I cleaned some of the dirt off of my previous outfit and headed back to Auden. She had already put my sleeping bag back in my knapsack and put some of our things into our bags.

"Ready to go?" I asked Auden.

She handed me the map and nodded. "Let's go."

We were officially out of Easton. We were in the middle of nowhere, New York and there was this weird guy following us. Talk about stalkers. He was a ginger, with super pale green eyes and sideburns. He kinda reminded me of this villain "prince" from a Disney movie, minus the fact that he was a middle-aged man with a potbelly. I don't remember what movie though.

Auden was getting suspicious. She was clutching her dagger in her pocket. Let's just take a moment to talk about her dagger. It's super pretty. Imperial gold and celestial bronze swirled together, with some small diamonds. Its name is Twister, I think? Yeah. I felt Icebreaker getting colder in my jacket. I mean, yeah Isolde. Icebreaker is literally made of unmeltable ice, so it's always cold. I'm not very smart, obviously. Back to the present, the man was looking at us and Auden snapped. Freaked. Somewhat panicked. Which was bad.

"Whatcha looking at?" She shouted. I mentally facepalmed as his eyes lit up. Great Auden. Look what you've gotten us into. I grabbed her hand and ran before she could do anything stupid again. That seemed ironic. The supposed daughter of Athena doing something stupid.

"Why Auden? Why?" Frankly, Auden had upset me a lot. What if the guy was just a mortal. What if he wasn't after us? I would rather run away from the monster than fight it, but Auden obviously disagrees.

"I am going to kill that little monster with my own hands," she said, glaring at the man, who was still looking at us. She looked like she was thinking of the many different ways to take him down. "That's it."

I seriously hated Auden sometimes. She let go of my hand, unsheathed her dagger, and charged the man shouting, "Whatcha lookin' at ugly?"

I think I've mentally facepalmed so many times today my head hurts. At least she got the ugly part right. Auden reminded me of an annoying little sister, but she was losing ground against the man. He had transformed into this Cyclops (well, his eye mostly). The mist had fooled us yet again. Auden was good with her dagger, but she had to get close to do good damage. Plus, she isn't the most experienced. I knew that I wasn't that great of a fighter, but I believe in strength in numbers. So I did what I thought was best. I ran straight into battle. Three words: I am stupid.

 **_A/N: If you guys have figured out my riddle from chapter 2 ? If so, please PM me or send your answer to me privately. Please do not spoil it for others, although the riddle is fairly easy. I'm having trouble coming up with ideas, so feel free to PM me if you want to help. I apologize ahead of time just in case your idea isn't used.**


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